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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27995310">Found Ourselves Dancing in This Masquerade</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/matan4il/pseuds/matan4il'>matan4il</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>9-1-1 (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz First Kiss, Fake Dating, Fake/Pretend Relationship, First Kiss, Getting Together, M/M, Romantic Comedy, fake co-parenting, holiday fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 18:41:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,121</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27995310</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/matan4il/pseuds/matan4il</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>The town’s streets are sparkling with snow and as Eddie is walking back home from work, it would have made him delight in the beauty of it and the sense of festivity he attached to the sight, if it weren’t for the fact that he was losing his source of livelihood. His mind is heavy with those thoughts, which is probably why he reacts sluggishly to the scene that unfolds before him when he rounds the corner of the local fire station. There’s a bundle left on the doorstep, clearly having just been abandoned there by the woman whose figure he notices slinking away from that spot. Eddie approaches and when he looks down, he’s met with a tiny face and a big pair of eyes staring back up at him. There’s no other option for him but to run after the mysterious woman and catch up with her.</i>
</p><p>
Or
</p>
<p>
The holiday fic where Buddie fake date and fake co-parent, each one believing the other to be the biological father of an abandoned baby. Spoiler: as is often the case, they're both wrong. A nod to the old time holiday rom coms.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>62</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Found Ourselves Dancing in This Masquerade</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For the purposes of the old time rom com feel, some of the characters in this fic project from their own experience or have outdated views on parenthood, but this fic is never meant to imply that those views are correct.</p><p>
Thank you so much to the wonderful <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/ToughPaperRound/pseuds/ToughPaperRound">Toughpaperround</a> and <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/meloingly/pseuds/meloingly">Meloingly</a> for the beta'ing! Also to the lovely <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ro_Nordmann/pseuds/Ro_Nordmann">Ro</a> for the beautiful cover art she made to accompany this fic!
</p>
<p>
The first chapter is dedicated to three friends I love on the occasion of their birthdays, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainSif/pseuds/CaptainSif">Sif</a>, <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gage/pseuds/Gage">Gage</a> and <a href="https://youcanhavemybackanyday.tumblr.com/">Youcanhavemybackanyday</a>. Always happy to celebrate you lovelies! xoxox
</p>
<p>
As today is the lighting of the first candle, Happy Hanukkah to all those who celebrate it! May you always get to have and to spread light!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
</div><p>

Eddie frowns at the notice slip in his hand. It's a letter thanking him for his temporary services to the Buckley &amp; Co. conglomerate during the holiday season at their department store and wishing him the best of luck in finding further employment in the future. The holidays aren't over just yet, he still has a couple of days that will add to his salary, but Eddie's a single dad trying to make it on his own and even though he was aware this was coming, he still had hope that some sort of miracle would occur. That the company which basically owned this entire small town he lives in would change its mind and keep him on at their store, giving him a steady source of income.
</p><p>
No miracle for this holiday season, then.
</p><p>
He grimaces as the stock room door opens and he shoves the slip into his pocket. He wasn't fast enough, Hen comes out of there and her expression testifies that she has caught a glance of the piece of paper before Eddie managed to hide it.
</p><p>
"The seasonal good news, I take it?" she asks with a look of sympathy on her face.
</p><p>
"Oh yeah, the best. Don't tell me that you got one of these, too?" Hen's not a temp here, so she shouldn't, but Eddie wouldn't put anything past a conglomerate.
</p><p>
"Nope." 
</p><p>
"Good," Eddie responds right away. She's a great friend and deserves nothing but positive things. Still, it's going to suck to frequent the unemployment center daily alone and Eddie is not looking forward to it.
</p><p>
"Hey, I'm sorry."
</p><p>
"Nah, don't worry about it," he replies, because he really doesn't want his friend concerned, even if that's the only thing he's going to be now. The holiday paycheck is something, but how long will it last to feed him and his son, Chris? How long will it last when he has the medical bills that come with his kid's cerebral palsy to deal with?
</p><p>
"I'm your friend, of course I'm going to worry about it." Hen pats his back kindly, before a contemplative look crosses her face. "Hey, did you hear that they're throwing a couples dance contest tomorrow evening at the community center? I think we should join in. The grand prize was donated by the Buckleys and it stands at one thousand bucks! Second and third place also get prizes, even though," she rolls her eyes up, "those are smaller. I think we can shoot for first place. I promise that whatever we win, I'll let you keep most of it," she ends with a wink.
</p><p>
Hen's aware of Eddie's past affair with dancing, how he loved it as a hobby and that once, he even considered it in terms of a career, before his father voiced his objection. While a part of him was ready to rebel against such dictations, the practical problems he faced after Christopher's birth put a final end to that idea. Hen's a little older than Eddie and she may not give it away, but in her day, she used to dance on Broadway for a living, before love brought her to this town. With her as a partner, they have a real shot at one of the monetary prizes. She really is a great friend and he's scared to let her, as well as himself, down. "I'm sorry, I don't think so. I'm probably too rusty for it."
</p><p>
"One thousand bucks, first prize. Is your bank account also too rusty for that?" She raises her eyebrows at him like she already knows the answer and is just waiting for him to figure out that he can't say no to her.
</p><p>
Eddie mulls everything over. If he's about to lose his job, Hen definitely has a point that he can't afford to turn down a shot at that money. Then again, if he does this, he'll have to make arrangements for Chris. Eddie can only hope Abuela or at least Pepa will be available to look after him the following evening. Not to mention, it's not like the two of them have had any time to prepare together...  "Maybe. I mean, we didn't even rehearse dancing..."
</p><p>
"Not for this, but we can fall back on that dance you helped me with for Karen and mine's anniversary last year. Don't worry, cheekbones! All you have to do is show up, be handsome and follow my lead." She smirks at him, confident she's already won the argument.
</p><p>
Which is fair enough, because she has. He nods and smiles at her, semi-reassured by her certainty and reminding himself that at most, he'll only make a slight fool of himself. So long as Chris doesn't learn about it, he should be alright. "Fine, you got yourself a partner."
</p><p>
"Wonderful," she beams at him. "Karen and I will pick you up tomorrow at seven."
</p><p>
They're so wrapped up in their conversation, they don't notice when Taylor, their floor supervisor, stops by to check up on them. "Hey, Diaz, looking good," she grins at him and he wishes he could tell her that what she thinks of as flirting is way too aggressive for his taste and far from wanted. But with her type, it will only come back to bite him in the ass. Which is a phrase he doesn't even want to think about in connection to her.
</p><p>
He settles for an unenthusiastic, "Hi, Taylor."
</p><p>
She waits for him to continue, like she was expecting him to add a compliment about her looking good that day or something of the sort, but when it becomes clear that this isn't happening, she's still undeterred by that. "Well," she takes in a deep breath and says in a faux light tone, "have you heard about the dancing contest at the community center tomorrow evening?"
</p><p>
"I just did, yeah."
</p><p>
"You should participate, I bet you have some smooth moves, Diaz."
</p><p>
He lowers his gaze and raises his eyebrows as he focuses on the perfume he's putting back into its package after a customer had tried it out. Because the first response that comes to his mind is wholly inappropriate and the second one is even worse. Thankfully Hen is there and she saves him from an awkward silence.
</p><p>
"So Taylor, hi!" she exclaims with over the top cheerfulness, subtly poking fun at the way their supervisor rarely greets the female employees, "always great to see you here. Will we get the same pleasure at the competition?"
</p><p>
"You better believe it, Hannah," she replies and walks away without so much as a parting word.
</p><p>
Eddie sighs. He really can't catch a break this holiday season.
</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p><br/>
* * *<br/>
</p>
</div><p>
The town's streets are sparkling with snow and as Eddie is walking back home from work, it would have made him delight in the beauty of it and the sense of festivity he attached to the sight, if it weren't for the fact that he was losing his source of livelihood. His mind is heavy with those thoughts, which is probably why he reacts sluggishly to the scene that unfolds before him when he rounds the corner of the local fire station. There's a bundle left on the doorstep, clearly having just been abandoned there by the woman whose figure he notices slinking away from that spot. Eddie approaches and when he looks down, he's met with a tiny face and a big pair of eyes staring back up at him. There's no other option for him but to run after the mysterious woman and catch up with her. 
</p><p>
"Ma'am," he calls out once he reaches her, "you can't! Alright? You absolutely can't abandon your child like that! I understand wanting to get away from the trouble that can come with raising a kid, I've been there, too. But you're going to regret it, I can tell you that from personal experience!"
</p><p>
She turns back to him and nods sadly. "It's not mine. It's nobody's child. Both of his parents are gone. Poor little thing!" she says and now that he can see her up close, Eddie realizes she's most likely telling him the truth. She's far older than he thought and the likelihood of her having recently given birth to a baby is basically zero. "I can't take care of him, but I'm sure the people here," she gestures with her head at the fire station, "will find him a good home."
</p><p>
Eddie turns to follow her gaze and the sight of the little bundle that's still there, on the cold stone steps, tugs at his heartstrings. He can hear the baby crying, so he takes a step or two in that direction, wanting to pick him up, away from the unsafe location where he was left, where an accident is just waiting to happen. Eddie wants to say something to the woman about it, but when he turns around to speak to her, she's gone. She can't be that swift, which means she must have slipped into a nearby alley. His first instinct is that he should go chasing her, but he calculates the pros and cons quickly and decides that's unwise. There are at least three alleys he's spotted, on each side of the small street, that she could have disappeared into. If he follows the wrong one, by the time he gets to her, some harm may come to the baby and to prevent that has to be Eddie's priority for now. The fire department can figure out how to track her down once he's filled them in on everything...
</p><p>
He walks over to the neatly wrapped bundle and picks the baby up. The little boy looks up at him and smiles. Eddie can't help but melt at that. He doesn't take his eyes off the little boy as he walks back past the corner to where the station's big bay doors are open to the public. He might have even started cooing a little bit at the kid, but if he did, it's not his fault. The baby he's holding in his arms is adorable and reminds him a little of Chris when he was a newborn.
</p><p>
As Eddie slowly enters the place, his smile transfixed on the baby, someone comes close and addresses him.
</p><p>
"Sir? I'm Captain Nash. Can I help you with anything?"
</p><p>
Gaze still fixed on the angelic little face, Eddie nods and answers automatically while he continues to make calming cooing noises at the small boy in his arms. "Yeah, hi. My name's Eddie Diaz, I was just walking back from work at the Buckley Department Store and I found this little orphan baby outside. He was abandoned there by this strange old lady, I was hoping you could find someone to take care of him."
</p><p>
"Sir... Mr. Diaz, if that's your baby and you're having issues raising him, we could contact social services..." It takes a second, but the meaning of the words spoken seeps in and Eddie's head snaps up, taking in the quiet, authoritative man talking to him. "I'm sure they can find a solution for you!"
</p><p>
"What? No! No, I'm sorry. You, you have the wrong idea. This kid isn't mine, I really did find him on the doorsteps outside, but it was cold and dangerous for a tiny baby, I couldn't leave him there! Here..." Eddie says, his desperation growing over how this fire Captain is clearly not buying any of this, regardless of how true it all is. He shoves the baby against the man's chest, the badge that reads 'Nash' pointing out the name Eddie was too distracted before to catch. The firefighter's hands come up instinctively in reaction to the sudden movement towards him and they catch the tiny bundle. Not a split second passes before, to Eddie's horror, the baby starts bawling miserably.
</p><p>
Captain Nash raises an eyebrow as if the child's sobs erupting once he's in someone else's arms are evidence of anything and before Eddie has the chance to do anything about it, the baby is placed right back in his grip. As soon as that happens, the weeping calms down immediately.
</p><p>
Eddie looks down at the bundle in his arms and can't help the smile that spreads on his lips. It's a nice feeling, to have such a tiny creature trust him and feel safer in his arms. It warms up something in his chest and makes him miss the days when Chris was this age.
</p><p>
Then he remembers the man observing him and probably taking this as proof of paternity. Panic takes over Eddie again and he shoves the kid back into the firefighter's hands like his life depended on it. The crying follows right away. For a brief instant, Eddie stares in disbelief, shocked that this is happening to him. And even though he'd prefer to stay and explain things rationally, the sense of fighting a losing battle makes him turn and bolt out of the station before that Captain could have any chance of stopping him.
</p><p>
Eddie's had enough for one holiday season already.
</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p><br/>
* * *<br/>
</p>
</div><p>
Captain Bobby Nash is a man of integrity. He's made mistakes in his lifetime, of course he has, but denying his own paternity was never one of them. The man who walked into the station that afternoon didn't seem like a bad guy. More like he was confused by the whole situation, maybe overwhelmed by it. Bobby wants to help him do the right thing. The guy mentioned his name and that he worked for the Buckley Department Store. That isn't much, but it's a place to start on this mission. It will be made easier thanks to Bobby knowing the business owners.
</p><p>
He takes the baby home to his wife, Athena. They could handle it for a couple of days until this matter would be resolved better than if Bobby were to go through the official channels. Why should a child be placed in the foster system when his father is right there and simply in need of some help? Especially a kid this young. 
</p><p>
Before his next shift is due to start, Bobby doesn't go straight to the station. Instead, he heads for the Buckley Conglomerate's offices. Its founder, Phillip, had been an old acquaintance from college. They weren't exactly what Bobby would call close, but for now, when speaking to the secretary, this gives him access to the Buckleys' son, Evan and that's all Captain Nash needs. He's instructed to sit and wait outside the office of the young man.
</p><p>
When Evan finally marches into the room, he's clearly coming in after a night out partying. He's disheveled and there are marks of lipstick smeared across his cheek. Not the most professional appearance, but Bobby reminds himself that this isn't his problem. Everyone in town is aware of Evan Buckley's playboy ways, but what matters is that this is also matched by the rumors that he has a heart of gold.
</p><p>
"Morning, Gloria!" he declares in a jubilant voice as he goes straight past her and towards his office. When he notices the fire Captain rising to his feet, he stops and takes in the uniform. "Oh," he says and then points to his left. "Our office that's handling all requests for charity and fundraising events is down that hall." With that, he walks into his bureau and closes the door behind him.
</p><p>
In an attempt not to be dismayed, Bobby points out to himself that it was young Evan Buckley who was kind enough to set up a charity office in this company to begin with, so it's best to ignore everything else, especially when coming to him with an unusual request. The Captain straightens his uniform, approaches the door and knocks on it. "Come in," he hears.
</p><p>
He opens the door and the young Buckley looks up at him, a frown of confusion settling over his features. "Do you need help finding the charity office? I can show you where..."
</p><p>
"No, that's alright. Thank you, Mr. Buckley," Bobby adds quickly, "but it was actually you that I was looking for. We've had an... out of the ordinary event down at the fire station and I thought maybe you could help resolve it."
</p><p>
"Me?" The young man's eyes widen even further and he gestures for one of the armchairs in front of his desk. "Please, have a seat, Mister..."
</p><p>
"Captain Nash," Bobby introduces himself.
</p><p>
"Oh, you're the fire Captain my dad knows from college, aren't you?"
</p><p>
Advantages of a small town life. He smiles awkwardly and hopes that he won't be asked about what Phillip was like back in the day. "Yes. If it's okay, I have a shift I need to start soon..."
</p><p>
"Yes, of course! Please tell me what I can help you with!"
</p><p>
"Thank you. Well, the other day we had a man walk into our station holding a small baby. He was obviously the father of this newborn, but he was denying that and trying to walk away from his responsibilities as a parent, claiming that someone else had abandoned the child in front of our station, that he just found the baby and brought him in. Mister Buckley, he's an employee of yours. I checked before I came to you and from what I understand from one of your supervisors, he's about to be fired after the holidays are over. The problem is, he already has an older son who was born with cerebral palsy. Imagine what the medical bills for that alone must be like... If he's about to become unemployed, that's an impossible situation! I suspect this man would not be turning his back on his second child if he didn't have to worry about how he could provide for the family he already has to take care of."
</p><p>
Bobby watched the expression on the young Buckley's face changing as the details kept coming, his face scrunching up and the more it did, his concern and care becoming palpably evident, the more the fire Captain was sure he made the right decision in turning up here for help.
</p><p>
Still, the first thing out of the young man's mouth is doubt. "How are you so sure he's the kid's father? He might have been telling you the truth about the baby having been abandoned?" That's to be expected, Bobby was prepared for that because he did stop to consider it himself. His answer was therefore going to be absolutely convincing, which was critical. The help he was asking for depended on what he would say next.
</p><p>
"First, there was the way that the child reacted to him. You should have seen it, that man was the only person in whose arms the baby felt safe enough not to cry. But in addition to that, if the kid had been abandoned and your employee," there's a small rise of Bobby's eyebrows thrown in there, meant to remind this man of his own responsibilities in the matter, in a town where his company oversaw most jobs, "just happened to pass by and he immediately brought the child inside, like he said, how did he know that the baby was a boy without having checked?"
</p><p>
Buck nods at that contemplatively and Bobby makes sure his exhale of the breath he was holding would be discreet enough not to be noticed. He's got Eddie's boss on board.
</p><p>
"Right. Then we're going to have to un-fire him, won't we?" The expression on Buck's face smoothes over, indicating he has made his decision. It was exactly the one that Bobby was hoping for. "What did you say this man's name was? And how soon before you can have the baby brought to his house?"
</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p><br/>
* * *<br/>
</p>
</div><p>
Eddie was not expecting to be called into the office of his employer that day. Or on any day, for that matter. He wasn't a significant enough worker for that. So it was worrying when he was told to go see Evan Buckley after lunch. His anxiety would normally start to build at that, but he managed to make it go away by reminding himself... what was the worst the man could do, double fire him? He snorted to himself and carried on with his work.
</p><p>
But by the time the employees' lunch is over, nervousness sets in all the same. He takes the elevator to the 25th floor, which he has never done before. He has to go through a secretary, who looks at his plain worker's uniform suspiciously until he says his name. She nods and quickly points him in the direction of Mr. Buckley's office.
</p><p>
He tucks at his uniform shirt and tries not to think about how much this is similar to being back in school and getting called into the principal's office. He knocks on the door and a muffled voice tells him to come in.
</p><p>
From behind a big wooden desk, a man gets up to greet him. "Oh, Mr. Diaz?"
</p><p>
It's weird to Eddie, all of it. Beyond the fact that he shouldn't be here in the first place, this guy is far too young, not to mention too ridiculously good looking, to be his employer or to address him so formally.
</p><p>
"Eddie," he introduces himself without stopping to really consider whether he should move them to more familiar terms.
</p><p>
"Eddie," the guy repeats, smiling widely and warmly. It looks suspiciously genuine for an exec. "I'm Evan, but you can call me Buck. Everyone does." And somehow, that's even more ridiculous than everything else about this situation so far. A man helping to run a multi-billion conglomerate, going by a nickname like... Buck. "Please," he points at the office armchairs, "have a seat. And if you don't mind me bringing this up, I understand you got a letter of dismissal?"
</p><p>
Eddie was in the process of sitting down when that question was asked, causing him to freeze mid-motion and drop into the armchair ungracefully. Okay, this is... none of this is going how he thought it would. Despite being unable to forget about it for a millisecond, somehow his upcoming return to unemployment is the last thing he was expecting to be brought up. He was sure he was about to get chastised for something, not be reminded of the impending termination of his work there. But weirder still, why would an employer be so mindful when asking about that, why care if the mention of being fired upset a lowly employee? 
</p><p>
"Yes," Eddie replies cautiously.
</p><p>
"Good," his employer says with a cheerful tone and that just stings. "Then you have a letter to throw in the recycling bin."
</p><p>
Wait... what?
</p><p>
"I have... what now?"
</p><p>
"The job is yours permanently, if you want it. That is..." Mr. Buckley suddenly appears hesitant. "Unless you've got something else lined up?"
</p><p>
"No! No, I, I don't. I would love to keep it. The job here."
</p><p>
"Great," the huge smile returns to his employer's face. "Then you'll also be getting a raise."
</p><p>
"I will?"
</p><p>
"I can't raise your salary by more than half of what it is now, but once you accumulate a bit more seniority, we'll see what we can do. Oh, and of course you'll be getting a special bonus."
</p><p>
"A... a bonus, too?" Eddie is honestly so dizzy, he's wondering whether he's hallucinating the whole conversation. Everything about it seems too good to be true.
</p><p>
"Yes, are you going to be home tonight, around 7 p.m?"
</p><p>
"I am."
</p><p>
"Great! Then I'll have the bonus package delivered..." his employer makes an odd stop, like there was some special meaning to the word 'delivered,' before he continues, "to your house at that time precisely."
</p><p>
"Mister Buckley..."
</p><p>
"Please, Buck!"
</p><p>
"Buck." Eddie pauses and searches for the words that would be enough to express his gratitude. "Thank you. Really, just... thank you."
</p><p>
"You have nothing to thank me for. In fact, you're the one who should be thanked, for... everything you're going to do from now on. I'm sure you're going to be great at it. I mean, exactly like you have been before. Because you've been doing this already..." This makes even less sense and Buck's awkward expression conveys that, fluctuating between smiling and frowning at his own confused speech. "Forget that. Best of luck with all that's going to come now and happy holidays to you and... your family."
</p><p>
"Thank you... Buck. Same to you and yours."
</p><p>
Eddie walks out of the office, clueless on how this all came to be, but looking out of the 25th floor windows and taking in the sight of the snow-covered streets, he can let the sense of festivity take hold for the first time. After all, he did get his holiday miracle.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Feel free to come say hi, drop feedback, send questions or prompts at <a href="matan4il.tumblr.com/">my Tumblr</a>!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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